


Broken Bones, Kept Promises

by Emby



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Child Neglect, Gen, Hurt Harry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Harry Potter, Protective Poppy Pomfrey, Protective Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21846400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emby/pseuds/Emby
Summary: His injury should have healed by now but since it didn't he's stuck with a professor who hates him.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey/Severus Snape
Comments: 5
Kudos: 577
Collections: Read, oh YES





	Broken Bones, Kept Promises

Had he known that Quidditch Practice would take up all of his free time, He… lets face it, Harry still would be playing Quidditch. He loves the freedom of being on a broom soaring through the air where no one can touch him. 

Or so he thinks. 

Its Friday, the last practice of the week. He spends it practicing his dives and searching for the Snitch while Wood is working with the substitute beaters. He loves the rush, when he's up here he feels like he can do anything.  
But today he’s slightly on edge keeping an eye on the teacher watching them.  
The Wizarding World knows how dangerous Quidditch is. After countless complaints from parents a couple years back a rule was instituted that there must always be a teacher on duty. It should have been a thing sooner but you know wizards. Usually it's Madam Hooch but she was away on personal business. So in her stead was Professor Snape.

When he had first walked onto the pitch Harry’s stomach drops when he sees the Professor. 

The Potions Master didn't seem to like him at all. His first day in his class he had accosted Harry asking questions he had no way of knowing. Although Professor Snape’s anger towards him was nothing like Uncle Vernon's he didn't want to be within range when the norm changed. 

He snickers to himself when he spots the professor squinting up at the sky. He just looks dumb. 

Harry knows how he gets when he's up on his broom. When he’s focused on finding the snitch, sometimes the world around him disappears. He’s poised like a cat searching for prey. (Which is the farthest from what his personality actually is.) 

His hyperfocus is probably one of the reasons he doesn’t notice the bludger heading his direction until it breaks his shoulder and he finds himself freefalling through the air. 

It’s an odd sensation and he knows he should be scared but his freakishness has protected him so far. He’s just worried someone is going to say something about it. Aunt Petunia said he was different and weird. She knew more about Magic than she let on and wouldn’t let him on the roof after that no matter how much Uncle Vernon yelled. 

The wind whistles in his ears but he focuses on the broomstick above him calling it back to himself as he slows down his descent. He’s done it before, like the time he fell off the roof. Well he bounced that time but its not that different, only higher. 

When he floats gently down the shock and adrenaline slowly wear off leaving him shakey. He feels everything as his latest bout of freakishness does not help with that. 

"Bloody Hell harry that was amazing! I didn't know you could do wandless magic!" Someone claps him on the back and he gasps in pain shifting away. 

He doesn’t like pain no matter how constant it is in his life. Pain was always the result of a mistake and Uncle Vernon never let him know what he did wrong. 

Not dissimilar to the professor, the same one he sees heading their direction through a gap between Wood and the Weasley twins. A chill runs down his spine and he takes a step back automatically, putting more people between him and the teacher. But Snape pushes through kneeling to be level with him “Potter, are you hurt?” He shakes his head standing straighter. 

“Did you know Harry could do wandless magic professor? That was amazing!” 

He sees the moment Professor Snape's worry turns to contempt. "Well tell your adoring fans that Practice is over, it's getting dark anyway.”

They jostle him still asking him questions on the way to the locker room. His answers are “I don't know” or “I've always been able to do it”. But it's getting hard to think of answers between the constant pain.

They finally leave him alone when they arrive in the locker rooms and he takes a quiet moment in the shower to set his broken shoulder. And passes off his yelp as the shower being too hot.

He takes his time after practice, making him one of the last ones to enter the Great Hall, it's not uncommon for the Quidditch players to enter late but Harry was late by anyone’s standards. 

Hermione waves him over to where her and Ron are sitting and he beams it's so wonderful to have friends he doesn't think he’ll he over it any time soon.

He zones out of the conversation more focused on consuming everything on his plate before dinner is over. 

He grabs the pitcher of Pumpkin juice intent on refilling his cup which is kinda hard to do one handed. 

"Harry you did what!?" Ron nudges Harry eyes wide in disbelief not that Harry sees, it the pumpkin juice is spilled and Harry's head thumps to the table all his brain function dedicated to the indescribable pain he's in. 

"Harry-" 

"Mr. Potter," It takes a while for him to register either voice but it's hard not to sense someone behind him. Harry turns his head to the potions professor behind him.

"When I asked you on the field, you said you were fine." 

"I was, or I will be" he stutters looking at his useless arm "it should heal in a few days." 

"What, do you think the love of your adoring fans will heal you? Idiot, get up I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey. "

“What do you mean healed?” Ron asks there’s something in his voice that sparks worry in Harry. He glances to the side noticing that the students around him are doing a really bad job of trying not to pay attention to their conversation. 

“Well when I get hurt it always heal by the next day. Dudley once broke my wrist but it was fine when we went to the doctor. Aunt Petunia was not happy.” he doesn’t mention how she screamed at him for wasting her time and called him a filthy liar the whole way home.

Professor Snape purses his lips and is quiet for a while and Harry knows what that silence means, it means he’s a liar and making things up for attention. Or at least that’s what the adults always say about him.

“Come with me Potter.” 

Harry’s stomach drops what would happen if he said no.

“Madame Pomfrey will take care of your dinner.” 

He doesn’t let the disappointment show he wanted to save some food, Just in case.

Hermione grabs his sleeve before he leaves. “We’ll wait up for you Harry.” 

“Potter.”

All eyes are on the two of them as they exit the great hall and it makes Harry feel more uneasy. 

*

Severus watches the young boy out of the corner of his eye as they head towards the Hospital wing. Something is off about him. 

He’s Lily's son through and through from the curiosity in his bright green eyes and awe quiet demeanor. He seemingly inherited only a few of James' shitty traits but even then it's only in looks.

Harry trails beside him, just far enough to be out of reach but Severus doesn't think the boy realizes he's doing it. 

“Do you get injured often Mr. Potter?" Severus glances at the young boy who trails behind him looking over his shoulder and around as if checking for escape routes.

“Yes sir, I’m very clumsy, I closed the door on my fingers once. That one took a long time to heal.”

“How long?” 

Harry eyes him warily it was never a good thing when adults questioned him it always led to them patronizing him and it wasn’t a good feeling.

The incident in question, Dudley had actually slammed the car door on Harry’s hand, his way of showing his displeasure that Harry had to come with them on a family outing. Harry’s crushed hand didn’t halt the trip in any way. He remembers Uncle Vernon shoving a cap on his head to cover his teary face. 

That was the first really bad injury maybe that’s why it took a whole month to heal. He doesn’t know what to make of the face the Professor makes when he tells him that but it worries him even more. 

Severus schools his expressions before looking forward again. He doesn’t like the matter of factness in Harry’s voice. As if it was the norm for him. 

Not that Harry would know, as an honorary Muggleborn accidental magic didn’t no- shouldn’t work like that. Only when injuries were left unchecked constantly would magic step in in that way. 

It plants a seed of worry in his gut as they near the infirmary. From what he can remember, Petunia was never the nicest person. 

“Am I in trouble?’ 

All lingering animosity towards Harry evaporates in that moment and his heart breaks. 

Severus hadn’t noticed that Harry stopped following him. He turns to see the boy looking so small and scared in the large hallway. 

“You’re not in trouble Harry, you’re here to get healed.” 

Harry takes a step back. “But my arm is healed now” And it is, he proves it by waving it around, no sign of it ever being broken. "I didn't mean to get hurt, honest!"

Severus’ stomach turns. How terrified did Harry have to be for his magic to go into overdrive like that? 

He kneels on the ground getting level with him. “Harry, nobody is blaming you for getting hurt in fact, your mother would have killed me for letting this happen to you under my care.” Its underhanded he knows, to bring Lily into this but knowing Petunia.

“You knew my Mom?” the hope and desperation in Harry’s eyes staggers him. “I did.” 

“Was she nice?”  
“She was the nicest person I ever met Harry and if you come with me I’ll tell you all about her.”

The tension in Harry’s body slightly lessens and he talks a tentative step forward.

Severus stands walking to the door and is relieved to see Harry following (still at a distance). 

Harry still doesn’t want to be here. Nobody else is around and even if Professor Snape wasn’t being super mean to him he didn’t trust him in the slightest. 

Uncle Vernon did the same thing kinda, he’d ask him questions acting like he cares only to pull the rug from under his feet. It happened a lot when he was younger thinking he was finally part of the family but getting yelled at for existing in the next moment. 

Madame Pomfrey isn’t in the room when they enter but Harry doesn’t notice, the young wizard moves past him to slump onto the bed.

Harry stumbles to the end of the bed away from where the professor is standing exhaustion hitting him like a train. He forgot how tired he gets after his injuries heal. Normally he’s just drowsy but this is the fastest it's ever been fixed. 

He struggles to stay awake eyes falling closed every few seconds before a dark blur moves into his field of vision. 

“Harry, can you hear me?” He flinches back raising his hands to protect his face. “Please-”  
Professor Snape is on the other side of the room when Harry puts his hands down. He looks angry. 

“Harry.” 

“I’m sorry!” He doesn’t know why he’s apologizing but it works when Uncle Vernon is coming at him.

“You’re safe here Harry. Nobody is going to lay a hand on you. Understand?”

Harry nods but Severus sees that he doesn’t truly believe him. But it doesn’t do much good to continue talking because Harry falls asleep in the next minute. Either his body tapping out for the day or the exhaustion finally taking over. 

Severus sighs rubbing his temples as the throbbing headache grows bigger. 

“Oh Severus what are you doing here, I thought you were at dinner?” he sees Madam Pomfrey entering the wing.

She stops short when she sees Harry on the bed dead to the world. “What in heavens happened?” she rushes to his side checking him over. 

“He healed his broken shoulder.” Poppy’s head whips to him angrily, “This isn’t a joking matter.” 

“I’m being serious Poppy, he broke his shoulder two hours ago and on the walk over here it was healed.” 

"That shouldn’t be possible. Oh Merlin.. I knew something was wrong when I first saw him. He’s so small.” She trails off looking back at Harry. 

“I’m going to speak to Minevra, he needs to be removed from their care if you can even call it that.” Poppy nods as she tucks the boy in wand in hand as she begins to check him over. 

When Severus arrives back at the hospital wing Poppy sits by Harry nursing a cup of Firewhiskey by the smell of it. 

"Poppy?" She doesn't answer only handing him a sheaf of papers. By the time he's done reading it she pours him a small glass too. 

“I can’t imagine what he’s been through or I can, and it’s horrible, did anyone think to check on him?” 

Severus grimaces “Albus said he was taking care of him.” He should have known, look what happened the last time he promised something. And now here’s her son

“He’s going to be fine Poppy?” 

She notices that the ever present grimace on Harry’s face smoothed out if she stroked his hair “He will be if I have anything to say about it.” he smiles at the heat in her voice. 

Harry’s not awake to see how they both look at him then each other as if to promise they’ll never let anything bad happen to him. 

Harry wakes the next morning groggy and disoriented. There’s a phantom ache in his shoulder and the previous day’s events come back to him. He nearly flings himself out of the bed but a hand steadies him. 

“Steady, you’ve been asleep for a while.”  
He tenses in the professor’s hands until the man moves back to his seat. “Can I leave now.” 

Professor Snape frowns and looks back to the office. “Madam Pomfrey just stepped out but once she checks you over you should be free to go.” 

Harry slumps in the bed.  
“Harry.” the boy looks at him apprehensive. “I want to apologize for how I treated you, I was basing your character on your father's and it was unfair and I shouldn’t have done that.”

Merlin, the disbelief that lights on Harry’s face hurts. He hates everyone who has treated this child like trash himself included. 

“My office is open anytime you want to talk, I promised to tell you about your mother and I don’t go back on my promises.”

Severus knows that it’ll take time for Harry to fully trust him but he doesn’t intend to be one of the bad guys anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I like the idea that Harry is just a quiet little guy his first few years at Hogwarts. Trying to keep his head down focusing on school work but still doing all the canonical adventures. He’s a powerful kid but he’s got issues, mainly with authority and that they’re not there to help him in any way. 
> 
> Tumblr: [ QualityQuill. ](https://QualityQuill.tumblr.com)


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